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Lavender Advances to NCAA Championships in Women's 400m
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May 29, 2015
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Virginia women’s track and field team continued competition Friday at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds at Hodges Stadium on the campus of the University of North Florida. Senior Jordan Lavender (Nashville, Tenn.) advanced to the NCAA Championships in the women’s 400m to highlight day two of the meet for the Cavaliers.
The top 12 competitors in each event at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds will advance to the NCAA Championships, held June 10-13 at the University of Oregon.
Lavender secured her spot in Eugene by placing third in her quarterfinal heat of the 400m to advance automatically. She ran a season-best time of 52.57 to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the first time in her career.
“Jordan ran the race as we drew it up,” said head coach Bryan Fetzer. “You feel so good for her. She has made the NCAA meet indoors and has been an All-American indoors, but for her to finish her career by making it to Eugene is special. She ran her best time of the season at the this meet and advanced automatically, which is a phenomenal for her. It is exciting for her and it is also exciting that she has one more race tomorrow, in the 4×1, where we can try to get a few more young ladies to advance to NCAAs.”
Lavender is the second Cavalier woman to punch a ticket to Oregon. Yesterday, Christine Bohan (Avon Lake, Ohio) advanced in the shot put.
Peyton Chaney (Belleville, Ill.) competed in the first round of the 200m, crossing the line in 24.02, but did advance to the quarterfinals, finishing 37th. Virginia had two athletes in the 3000m steeplechase, but neither Iona Lake (Norwich, England) or Sara Sargent (Philadelphia, Pa.) were able to advance, finishing 16th and 43rd, respectively.
The Cavalier women will compete in one event during the final day of the meet on Saturday. The 4x100m relay squad of Chaney, Lavender, Andrea Wright (Chesapeake, Va.) and Tori McKenzie (Chatham, Va.) will look to advance to Eugene.